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this post was submitted on 26 Jan 2026
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Linux Gaming
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Steam isn't open source either. Bringing GoG galaxy to linux will make it easier for linux gamers to buy and install DRM free games. The games won't be open source either, that's not the issue here.
just because a lot of stuff on linux is open source, and free... doesnt mean everything has to be in fact, i think that "mindset" is what have sorta slowed the overall adoptability of linux. (well, probably not but.. if the users expect all stuff to be free, then why would a company like adobe move to linux?)
Hi. I don't really have the juice to explain rn, but you should look up both "open source" and "free software". Free as in $ isn't mandatory, but transparent/extensible is kinda the whole point and adobe can fuck right off
I know
at least partial source availible would be nice
not a programmer so idk if i'm talking blunders here, but i'd love it if gog just released their api so that people can make fully featured 3rd party clients. i'd love to have an adwaita gog client that looks native to my gnome system.
Things like heroic exist, so there is some form of open API.
Not a blunder, technically its possible. You just wouldn't want to do it as company policy. The reasons off the top of my head:
This can all be tightly controlled and locked down, but you'll just keep asking yourself why not just make your own client. Clients for product delivery are best left as something you provide yourself. Nothing is stopping them from allowing complete reskins from the community though (like steam used to have).
If all you care about is installing and launching your games, then an GTK client already exists:
https://sharkwouter.github.io/minigalaxy/
Doesn't have galaxy's social features though
...and? I wish Steam also was open source but I don't see how that's relevant here.
We're discussing about a position for someone who probably likes, or at least understand, open source because that's the motivation for most people when they consider Linux. It's important to highlight what it is and what it is not, unfortunately.
There are open source games too, just to give a random examples GCompris is quite amazing and it keeps on growing. Countless examples on https://itch.io/games/tag-open-source
What is the point of this very community? Is it "just" to play (and if so, one can "just" launch Steam on desktop or their SteamDeck, BTW AFAIK Steam does not suggest DRMs, it's up to the game dev) or rather is it to play better, whatever that might mean? I personally do not believe promoting proprietary software (especially when working ones already exist) helps go further but you might disagree. Can you please explain then WHY more proprietary launchers and games is good?
There are many many more motivations for Linux
I didn't say it was the only motivation, but even if I did, can you please give examples and address the question I did ask?
Privacy. Usability. Freedom. Performance. Compatibility. Memory footprint. I mean I could go on but..
Games are propietary. There are dozens of open source games, yes, but they all, collectively, by using reason, are propietary due to the exceptions being tiny and usually badly orhestrated attempts at games.
Realise that I hate capitalism just as much as anyone, but developing games with open code is (from a professional game dev viewpoint) a truly honorable exercise in futulity. You need to understand the ratio between making the hardest form of art possible to how the gamers view the medium and disregard any Impulse of changes to the design propagating and potentially ruin the fun in one of the abundant pitfalls is enormous. Rabid fans already disassemble every choice you make and your compiled code to "win" is not the best theater for making the code public. Add to that the intense pressure of the development cycle and you have easily made a torture device for the most passionate
Because it means more available games, and more options for gamers. Open source launchers would be great, but any launcher is better than no launcher at all, and first party support shows that GOG are taking Linux seriously as a platform that is worth investing time and resources in. This community is for people who A) Like Linux, and B) Like playing video games. Anything that allows you to play more video games on Linux is a good thing.